With the exception of water, tea is the most widely consumed of all beverages. Its world-wide per capita consumption has been estimated at 0.1 liter per day. Furthermore, other brewed beverages such as fruit infusions, iced tea and coffee are increasingly consumed world-wide. In western countries, brewed beverages tend to be prepared at home, however, there is a growing trend for consumers to consume such beverages out of the home in, for example, cafes and bars. The teabag is a widely used solution to offer hot tea in these environments—the long brewing time and mess after brewing are barriers to consume hot tea out of home. Therefore an alternative brewing method is required, especially for the out of home market.
Brewing devices for making coffee, tea, chocolate or any other beverage are known in the art.
WO 2007/042485 A1 discloses a device for brewing a beverage, containing an infusion container and a cartridge that contains infusible matter. The cartridge is connectable to the infusion container. An openable and closable passage is located underneath the cartridge, which forms a hermetic connection between the infusion container, and the passage.
WO 88/02612 describes a brewing device that contains an infusion chamber with a movable base, and the base is provided with a filter. The device is provided with an air pump that can draw air upwardly through the filter into the chamber during infusion, or can be used to pressurize the infusion chamber for discharging the infused liquid through the filter.
WO 02/43540 A1 discloses a tea brewing machine that has a housing, a vessel for receiving leaf tea, hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the vessel, means for physically agitating the leaf tea within the vessel to maximise the rate and extent of infusion, and a siphon arrangement for siphoning the infusion out of the vessel before it is dispensed. In one embodiment hot water is pumped into the brewing vessel as water jets.
US 2007/0034083 A1 discloses a brewing device for the preparation of beverages such as coffee, tea, roasted-barley coffee, camomile tea and similar brews and infusions. In one embodiment, hot water contained in a hopper flows down through a valve to produce a kind of Umbrellas effect to urge the down-flowing water against the walls of the brew chamber, thereby cleaning them from the brewing residues.
GB 2 217 976 A discloses an apparatus for brewing a beverage, wherein an infusible ingredient is introduced in a container having a filter base. A piston pushes air through the filter to agitate the ingredient and water, and after brewing pulls out the brewed liquid while the infusible ingredient is retained on the filter.
Also cartridges or containers containing infusible materials are known in the art. They usually provide a convenient, rapid and consumer friendly way of brewing a beverage such as coffee or tea. The cartridges or containers are usually designed for single use, and are disposed of after brewing a beverage. Generally the cartridges are used in combination with a brewing device which is especially suited for the specific cartridges. A good example of popular cartridges containing coffee are the Nespresso coffee cartridges. Usually the cartridge or container functions as a brew chamber as well as a filter: solids remain in the cartridge, they are not released from the cartridge.
EP 808 598 A1 discloses a cartridge containing ground coffee, which can be connected to the bottom of a holder; the holder is filled with hot water, and coffee is brewed by the dripping of water through the cartridge. The ground coffee is retained in the cartridge.
EP 1 440 913 A1 discloses a cartridge containing a beverage ingredient in a storage chamber. An aqueous medium can flow into the cartridge, be brought into contact with the beverage ingredient, and flows out of the cartridge through holes in a pierceable lid. The beverage ingredient may be soluble or insoluble, and may be used for the making of a cup of coffee, tea, chocolate, or a dairy-based beverage.
WO 03/073896 A1 discloses a sealed container for extracting water-soluble contents, especially for brewing coffee. To brew the beverage an orifice is inserted through the cover to inject hot water and vapour into the container. The body of the container provides both filtering function of the contents and discharging function of the extracted liquid.
WO 2009/081427 A1 discloses a filter used in equipment for the preparation of a hot beverage. A container is connected to a boiler, wherein water is heated. In between these two elements a filter unit containing ground coffee is located. Water from the boiler is forced upward through the filter into the upper container where the beverage is introduced, and wherein the filter unit keeps the ground coffee inside the filter unit.
The present systems have a few disadvantages which will be addressed by the present invention. Existing systems typically consist of a cylindrical shaped brew chamber where product is introduced at one end (the top) and the leaf residue is removed from the other (the bottom). Often the bottom of the brew chamber consists of a sieve or filter that is cleaned after brewing. The use of such systems to brew multiple varieties eg black tea, flavoured teas, and herbal infusions sequentially through the same brewer may result in carryover of flavours from one brew to the next. Also product can get stuck above the water level when leaf is introduced from top, leading to waste of leaf and flavour carryover.
Alternatively, systems exist that brew a beverage in a disposable package. As the liquor is brewed in the package and the package with leaf is disposed afterwards, carryover of flavours is minimised. As the packages are smaller than the final cup volume the water must flow through the package—the leaf to water ratio is limited as is the contact time between leaf and water. As a result only very fine cut leaf can be used.
Thirdly, existing systems typically have a significant length of tubing between the filter, and the point at which the infused liquor is dispensed. This carries a large internal surface area, and due to it's construction (eg U-tubes, and other non drainable areas) may be difficult to rinse effectively between brews.
Finally existing devices may contain one or more valves or other mechanical elements that come into contact with the brewed beverage. As each mechanical, movable element in a device eventually gets worn and may get broken, it is disadvantageous if a device contains such movable elements. Moreover such elements when coming into contact with brewed beverage, still may contain traces of the brewed beverage or deposits from the beverage, which are difficult to remove, even after rinsing. Such deposits may lead to carry over of flavour from one brew to the other, as when a second brew is released from a brew chamber into a cup, (parts of) deposits from a first brew attached to the moving parts, may be rinsed with the second brew into the cup. This is a disadvantage, as the consumer will not be served with a perfect beverage which is free from flavours from previous brews.
Hence it is an objective of the present invention to provide a method for brewing a beverage which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art as indicated above, as well as cartridge which can be used in that method, and that contains an infusible material to brew a beverage.
The present invention takes away these disadvantages by providing a method for brewing a beverage using a brewing machine, which is equipped with a brew chamber which is open at the bottom. The brew chamber can be closed at the bottom by a removable cartridge which contains an infusible material to brew a beverage. The cartridge is introduced to the brew chamber by connecting the cartridge to the brew chamber. The cartridge contains an opening in the bottom part which comprises a filter. This cartridge serves as the bottom of the brew chamber during the brewing process. Gas which is introduced through the opening of the cartridge into the brew chamber leads to agitation of the infusible material in water, leading to an effective brewing process. After termination of the brewing process, the brewed beverage is discharged through the opening and the infusible material is retained on the filter. The cartridge can be removed from the brew chamber after this process.
As an additional advantage the brewing device does not contain movable valves and other movable equipment parts which come into contact with the brewed beverage and which may break during use over time. Moreover the need for a mechanical valve, or U-tube, siphon, positioned after the filter has been eliminated. Also a funnel to empty the brew chamber to fill a cup or a jug or can is not required, as the beverage can be dispensed directly through the filter of the cartridge. Additionally less equipment parts need to be cleaned between brews, which is advantageous because of less time requirement for cleaning, and because of reduced flavour carry over between brews of different taste and flavour.
Other advantages of the method according to the invention are that all infusible material is introduced and mixed with water. Moreover all infusible material is removed after brewing from the brew chamber. As the sieve is integrated in the cartridge, flavour carry over between various brews is limited. The cartridge forms an integrated and integral part of the brew chamber. No additional means of cleaning are needed than rinsing.
With reference to non-limiting FIG. 1, in a first aspect the present invention provides a method for brewing a beverage in a brewing apparatus, wherein the apparatus comprises a brew chamber 21 that comprises a side wall 22, a bottom rim 25, a top wall 23, and an opening 24, comprising the steps:
a) connecting the top rim 3 of a cartridge 1 containing an infusible particulate ingredient 2 to the bottom rim 25 of the brew chamber, such that a water-tight connection is made;
wherein the cartridge 1 comprises a side wall 4 and a bottom wall 5
and is made from a water-impermeable material,
and wherein the bottom wall contains an opening 6 and a filter 7;
b) drawing gas out of the brew chamber through opening 24 and simultaneously drawing gas into the brew chamber through opening 6 and filter 7 of the container;
c) at least partly simultaneously with step b) filling the brew chamber with water through inlet 26 and brewing the beverage by mixing water and infusible particulate material 2 in the brew chamber 21; and
d) terminating drawing of gas out of the brew chamber and discharging the brewed beverage through opening 6 and filter 7.
With reference to non-limiting FIGS. 2 to 11, in a second aspect the present invention provides a cartridge for connecting to a brew chamber for brewing a beverage, comprising a first element 51 and a second element 71,
wherein the first element 51 comprises a side wall 52 and a bottom wall 53,
wherein the side wall 52 and bottom wall 53 are made from a water-impermeable material,
wherein the bottom wall 53 contains a protuberance 54 that directs to the outside of the first element 51,
wherein the bottom wall contains an opening 55,
wherein the opening comprises a filter 56 which is permeable to water,
wherein the top is optionally closable by a seal 58 and which is attachable to the upper rim 59 of the side wall 52,
and wherein the bottom wall 53 comprises one or more notches 60 directed to the inside of the first element 51,
and wherein the second element 71 comprises a bottom wall 72,
wherein the bottom wall 72 is made from a water-impermeable material,
wherein the bottom wall 72 comprises an opening 73 which is able to interlock with protuberance 54 in order to create a water-tight connection,
wherein the bottom wall 72 contains one or more protuberances 74 which are able to interlock with the corresponding one or more notches 60,
and wherein the second element 71 is moveable relative to the first element 51 about the corresponding notch 60 and protuberance 74.
With reference to non-limiting FIGS. 2 to 11, in a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the present invention also provides a method for brewing a beverage in a brewing apparatus using a cartridge according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the apparatus comprises a brew chamber 21 that comprises a side wall 22, a bottom rim 25, a top wall 23, and an opening 24, and means to connect a cartridge to the brew chamber,
comprising the steps:
a) optionally releasing seal 58 from the cartridge,
wherein the protuberance 54 of the first element 51 is interconnected with the opening 73 of the second element 71 to close the bottom wall 53 of the first element 51;
b) putting the cartridge into the brewing machine and connecting the top rim 59 of the first element of the cartridge to the bottom rim 25 of the brew chamber, such that a water-tight connection is made;
c) optionally prior to or simultaneous with step b), moving the second element 71 of the cartridge relative to the first element 51 of the cartridge, such that the filter 56 is exposed to the atmosphere;
d) drawing gas out of the brew chamber through opening 24 or through optional opening 26, and simultaneously drawing gas into the brew chamber through opening 55 and filter 56 of the cartridge;
e) at leastly partly simultaneous with step d), filling the brew chamber 21 with water, and brewing the beverage by mixing water and infusible particulate material in the brew chamber 21; and
f) terminating drawing of gas out of the brew chamber and discharging the brewed beverage through opening 55.
With reference to non-limiting FIGS. 2 to 11, in a third aspect the present invention provides an apparatus for brewing a beverage using a cartridge according to the second aspect of the invention, containing a brew chamber and means to connect a cartridge to the brew chamber such that a water-tight connection is formed, and
means to move the second element 71 of the cartridge relative to the first element 51 of the cartridge about the corresponding notch 60 and protuberance 74,
wherein said means comprise a holder which fits in a gap 75 between the first element 51 and the second element 71, and
wherein the holder can move relative to the first element 51 to increase the width of the gap 75 between the first element 51 and the second element 71.
With reference to non-limiting FIGS. 2 to 11, in a fourth aspect the present invention provides a method for opening a cartridge according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the protuberance 54 of the first element 51 of the cartridge is interconnected with the opening 73 of the second element 71 to close the bottom wall 53 of the first element 51, wherein the second element 71 is moved from the first element 51 about the corresponding notch 60 and protuberance 74, to expose the filter 56 to the atmosphere.